Aftermath Emotions
by At the End of Dreaming
Summary: Set sometime between Go for Green and Handshake. Dillon doesn't like the fact that Ziggy has no choice but to be the Green Ranger and feels guilty that he didn't do more to help. Ziggy unknowingly helps him focus. Slash, Dillon/Ziggy


**Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or anything related to the franchise.**

Aftermath Emotions

To say Dillon felt a little guilty about what had happened would be a big understatement. He felt horrible. While he had been trying to get a hold on his shield ability, Ziggy had been running around all of Corinth, trying to keep his head on his shoulders and the Series Green Morpher away from that Tenaya 7. He had barely made it in time to stop Tenaya from kicking the crap out of his friend but he hadn't been able to stop her from putting him in a position where he was forced to bond with the morpher.

Ziggy had looked very young and small standing in the lab in the Series Green uniform as the other Rangers violently protested the bonding. He had tried to understand where they were coming from but that very small understanding had disappeared completely when he'd caught sight of the younger man later that night, finally out of the suit. There were bruises forming across his collar bone and after he'd forced Ziggy to let him see them he had discovered more bruising all along his shoulder blades from being thrown out of his car onto the rough ground.

But mostly, he felt he was to blame.

He had sworn he would protect the boy when he brought him out of prison. He hadn't said it out loud but he had. And now Ziggy was going to be a Ranger and there was nothing anyone could say to change that. He was going to have to go out there and fight and put himself in danger and there was nothing he could do to protect him from that.

And what made it worse was the way Ziggy just seemed to accept it. The aching, the bruises, the fighting, the disapproval from the rest of the team; Ziggy took it all and moved on, like it was normal. And it shouldn't be like that. He shouldn't have to deal with it, none of it, especially not the harassment from the rest of the team.

He sighed angrily, leaning back in the front seat of his car. He hated this, this feeling of uselessness, of not being able to help Ziggy. Ziggy was important. He didn't know much but he did know that Ziggy was special. With Ziggy, it felt like he had a second chance. Ziggy didn't try to judge him or fix him. He just seemed to accept him and all his little, broken pieces. And while he wasn't sure what exactly it was he had with the younger Ranger, but he really didn't want to lose it.

Ziggy suddenly dropped into his line of sight, appearing in the window of his car with his normal wide smile. "Hey Dillon. You going out?" he asked.

Dillon nodded in response, finding his eyes locked on the leather jacket Ziggy was wearing. It was a horrible reminder of the position Ziggy was being put in. He really wanted it off of him. The new Green Ranger leaned forward suddenly, flicking his forehead and drawing him out of his thoughts. "What was that for?" he asked, not really irritated.

Ziggy's eyes were gleaming in amusement as he told him, "Stop undressing me with your eyes."

Now there was an interesting thought. He smirked slightly, running his eyes over Ziggy's lean form. His memories of the nights they'd slept together were the clearest he had and it seemed that almost everyday he was haunted of images of Ziggy spread out across his bed, his cheeks warm with a bright sex-flush, his eyes nearly swallowed by his pupils, his chest moving rapidly as he struggled to draw in breaths, and his pale, unblemished skin seeming to glow against his uniform black sheets. "I don't know, Zig." he told the younger man. "I think I like you naked."

His smirk widened when he noticed Ziggy's pupils dilate sharply, nearly consuming the honey brown color of his eyes. "Get in." He told him. "We're going for a ride."

The Green Ranger immediately obeyed, racing around the car and eagerly hopping into the passenger seat. Dillon smirked at him, gunning the engine and tearing out of the Garage. He drove them around for a while, taking comfort in the fact that for now the boy was right here beside him. And he wasn't going anywhere soon.

He stopped eventually, slowing down in one of the more deserted parts of town. Ziggy gave him a concerned look, his background rambling coming to an abrupt halt. "Dillon? Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just wanted to stop for a minute." he replied. He turned his head to slightly to stare at his friend. "Thanks for coming with me, Zig."

Ziggy shrugged, seeming unconcerned. "Hey, I don't mind. Anytime." He said easily. Dillon smiled slightly, leaning across to press a rough kiss to Ziggy's lips. Ziggy immediately responded, trying to press closer but not having much success. Finally, Dillon reached over blindly and undid his seat belt, pulling the younger Ranger into his lap. Ziggy pulled back after another moment, breathing deeply. "I can not believe we're doing this." He muttered, biting back a whimper as Dillon's hands slowly moved over his sides, feeling the touch even through the thick leather of his new jacket.

"Doing what?" Dillon asked, nuzzling into the side of his neck and letting his breath ghost across the sensitive skin there. Ziggy shivered in his embrace, his voice coming out shaky when he replied. "Making out in the front seat of your car." He swallowed thickly before he continued. "Seems a little cliché, don't you think?"

Dillon chuckled in response, peppering kisses all along his neck. "No not really." he replied. He shifted his attention, focusing on Ziggy's Adams Apple. The Green Ranger let out a strangled groan, tilting his head back to give him more access. He grinned against his neck, one hand moving upwards to bury in the messy brown hair. Slowly he pulled back, staring at the mark slowly forming on his neck.

Ziggy sighed slightly when he noticed it. "One of these days, that's going to get me in big trouble." he told him. Dillon chuckled, grasping the hand the morpher was kept on. He placed a quick, gentle kiss between the bands of the morpher holder, feeling Ziggy's pulse speed up beneath his lips. "That's okay." He whispered. "I'll take care of you."

He pulled back slowly, a grin stretching across his lips as he dropped Ziggy's wrist and grabbed the corner of his jacket that had been irritating him all day. "In the mean time, this needs to come off." He said, watching as the Green Ranger eagerly obeyed the command, quickly shrugging out of the heavy leather. Once that was down Dillon leaned forward and caught Ziggy's lips in another bruising kiss.

He wasn't sure what exactly it was he had with Ziggy. It was strange and confusing and he couldn't figure out the boundaries of it and the thought excited him as much as it scared him because he really didn't want to lose Ziggy. He cared deeply about the boy in his arms and he didn't need his memories to know he hadn't ever felt like this with someone else. And he probably would never feel like this with anyone else.

He was sure there was a word for the emotion and sometimes, late at night as he stared down at a peacefully sleeping Ziggy he could feel it on the tip of his tongue, could almost say it. But in the end he guessed the word for it didn't really matter, just as long as Ziggy knew how much he cared.

He couldn't stop Ziggy from being a Ranger; it was who he was now. But he could protect him for as long as possible. It was the only thing he could do now. And he'd do it well because Ziggy meant everything to him.


End file.
